The Promise
by Marissalyn
Summary: A car accident puts Carmilla in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her wife Laura works to win her heart again. or The Vow au nobody asked for, but I wrote anyways.
1. Chapter 1

It was cold. You were laying on something comparable to plywood, and you were cold.

It felt like there was a weight on your chest, something was irritating your wrist, and your ankle was itching to be scratched.

Your lips felt dry, and your eyelids were crusted over with sleep so it was hard to open them.

All you could think about was a girl in a white sundress beneath a sunset that could put the prettiest of bouquets to shame. The last thought you had was of waking up next to iher/i.

You smiled to yourself at the image of her. She was so beautiful, and she often told you exactly what you wanted to hear. She had been yours for as long as you could remember. You had grown up together. Her family had been your family. You loved her.

You were finally able to open your eyes, and immediately afterwards, wished that you hadn't. The room was bright and pale, and your head was spinning.

"Oh thank god you're awake, you scared the hell out of me, Carm."

Your brows bunched together painfully, your entire body aching, as you turned your head to face the person behind the voice. A woman was standing at the foot of your bed, a cup of coffee held numbly between her white fingers, her lips cracked and peeling. You couldn't help but think this woman looked like she had been through a lot. She was beautiful though.

You opened your mouth to speak, immediately thinking of something to say to try and respond to her in the only way you knew how. She had to be your doctor, after all she was in scrubs and a lab coat, and she knew your name.

"I didn't know doctors could be so hot." You say even though it sounds like you had swallowed a handful of glass.

She rolled her eyes, the pallor of her face not changing as she moved closer to the bed, sitting down in the chair next to your head. She reached for your hand, as you dumbly stared at her fingers wrapping around yours. You were confused; this wasn't Grey's Anatomy.

You pulled your hand away, even though the touch of her skin felt familiar. "Have you seen my girlfriend?" You asked, wondering if she was off work yet. What time of the day was it even? Why were you even in the hospital to begin with?

The woman's face mirrored yours in confusion. "Girlfriend?"

Before you could say anything else, another doctor entered the room, this one a bit taller than the one sitting next to you, with a shock of red hair, and a big smile. "Oh fantastic, you're awake!"

You nod slowly, confused as to why these doctors were nowhere as professional as they should be. "Why am I here? What happened to me?"

The red head grabbed the clipboard from the end of your bed and started writing something into it, looking pointedly at the girl beside you. You looked over at her, hoping she would give you the answer you were looking for.

She looked at you, her eyes soft and sad. "You were in a car accident three nights ago."

You sucked in a breath, taking in the cast on your arm and leg.

"You've broken your left leg and arm, and suffered some swelling in your frontal lobe." The red headed doctor continued.

You nodded slowly, "Okay, I have one question though."

"And I might have an answer for you." The red head said, placing the clipboard back on the bed.

"Has anyone notified my girlfriend yet?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Girlfriend?" You ask from your spot next to Carmilla. It was the second time she had mentioned a girlfriend, which confused you, because iyou/i were her iwife/i.

She looked over at you with one brow raised, a look you normally took comfort in. "Yes, Ell Cooke. She works at the café on the corner of Mels street."

You feel your stomach drop. Carmilla had mentioned her before; it had taken her three months before opening up to you one night after having too much bourbon. She had broken Carmilla's heart.

You knew that there had been a good possibility for Carmilla to suffer from memory loss after going through the windshield, but you didn't expect her to forget you. She looked at you like you were her doctor and only her doctor. Not like she had been married to you for over a year, and dated you for over four.

You opened your mouth to respond, when LaFontaine spoke up. "Dr. Hollis, can I see you in the hallway for a moment?"

When you go to tell them to wait, they glare at you, "Now."

You nod, following them out, and giving Carm one last look, as she sat in her bed and looked around the very bare room.

"You can't tell her you're her wife."

You whipped your head around to face your colleague and best friend. "Excuse me?"

"You can't tell Carmilla you and her are married," They repeated, "At least not yet."

"And why's that?"

"You're just going to scare her and confuse her even more. If I remember correctly from all that you've told me, you're all she's got left."

You sigh, looking back towards Carmilla's room. "And what happens when she finds out that her supposed girlfriend cheated on her five years ago?"

"Then you'll offer for her to stay with you, just like you did the first time." LaFontaine said simply.

"That was from an ad on a bulletin board she found outside of a café."

"And you became roommates, and then soul mates."

You rolled your eyes.

"You can do that again, you just have to flash her the ol' Hollis charm, and she'll fall in love with you all over again."

"She has to, I don't know what I'd do without her." You said quietly, looking down at the wedding ring. "She's my heart."

LaF nodded, "I'll get her ring from her possessions before she sees it."

You sighed, "I guess I should take mine off too."

"It's probably for the best."

You slip it off of your ring finger, and into your coat pocket. You weren't too sure you could pull this off, but you had to. LaFontaine was right, Carmilla didn't even remember you, how was she supposed to love you like she used to?

centerXXX/center

centeriuThree Days Ago/u/i/center

"I don't know what you want from me!" You shouted from the kitchen, throwing dishes into the sink.

"I don't want anything from you, Laura," Carmilla said from the doorway, "I just want you to love me for all of me. To love me for all of my broken pieces and fuck ups."

"You forging a check with your dead father's name on it is illegal, Carm! I can't love you for breaking the law!"

"We needed the money," Carmilla tried to reason, "We're already a month behind in rent, and my father has a bunch of money still in his savings!"

"That your mother owns!"

"Oh so what, I should apologize that I'm not involved with my mother anymore? Should I apologize for ignoring the mother I have when you don't have one at all?"

The sound of something shattering rang out through the air.

A gasp.

You spun around, a part of a broken plate in your hand. "That is crossing the line!"

Carmilla looked guilty, immediately regretting her words.

"Get. Out."

"Laura-"

"Get the ifuck/i out of my apartment!"

"I'm sorry, that was-"

"I mean it Carm, get out. I don't want to even look at you right now."

"Where am I supposed to go?"

"I don't know, why don't you just hide in your studio like you normally do. Maybe if you had a real job like the rest of us, we'd be able to actually afford the rent." You clenched your eyes shut, quickly turning away from her, and gripping hard onto the kitchen counter. You shouldn't have said that, but yet it appears that both of you had said some harsh things tonight. Maybe things you've wanted to say for a long time.

The sound of footsteps leaving the room echoed up into the high ceiling, the front door slamming shut.

centerXXX/center

You let out a nervous breath, remembering the late night call that woke you from a nightmare, only to throw you into an even bigger one.

You remember blindly getting dressed and rushing to the hospital.

You remember finding Carmilla on a stretcher covered in blood with a bunch of nurses and interns around her, prepping her for a surgery that she may not even survive.

But she did survive. And you were about to tell her that you're her doctor and not her spouse. You were about to lie to your wife for the first time in your entire life, and you weren't supposed to hate yourself for it.


	3. Chapter 3

centeriuFive Years Ago/u/i /center

You were wandering the streets, staring at your scuffed shoes, the only belongings you were able to grab with tears in your eyes and anger in your fists tucked into a bag hanging off of your shoulder.

You didn't know where to go. Your mother had written you off, or maybe you had written her off. Either way she was a no. Your sister lived in Paris and your brother had died in a house fire a few years ago. Your father had died shortly a year later from a heart attack. You had no one.

It was a Friday night; people were out and about having a good time, laughing and inebriated. You wished you were one of them, if only to dull the pain of what you had walked in on not even two hours before with a bottle of something strong, to distract you from the ache in your chest.

Instead you stopped at a café. It was closed, but the bulletin board out front was lit up, a mixture of bright yellows and whites neatly pinned so that everything was legible. You took a step closer, scanning each flyer for something interesting, when you came across a particular one with a roommate request. The apartment was on the third floor, two bedrooms, and one bath. You didn't know what made you dial the number that was listed, but you didn't think you had much left to lose. The woman you loved no longer loved you, and you needed a place to stay.

"Hello, you've reached Laura Hollis, how can I help you?"

You sucked in a breath, your jaw stiffening. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe you and Ell could fix things, after all you didn't give her time to talk. You saw a man in your bed, and you saw red.

"Hello?" The voice repeated, a bit confused now.

You shake your head, forcing yourself to respond, this was the right thing; it had to be. You couldn't forgive her for cheating, not again. You cleared your throat quickly, "Hi yes Laura, I just saw your flyer out front of the café on Mel's street, and was wondering if we could set up a meeting?"

centerXXX/center

centeriuPresent Time/u/icenter

You sat in your bed, waiting for the two doctors to return. You were hoping that they would just release you, so you could go home.

The shorter doctor, (Dr. Hollis was it?), entered the room, the red headed one nowhere to be seen.

"So can I go home now?" You asked immediately, looking down at the cast on your leg, hoping it wouldn't be too hard to move around.

Dr. Hollis stared at you, making you feel unsteady. Why was she looking at you like that? Like she knew something you didn't. "Yes, you will be able to go home, but first I must inform you of what has happened since the car accident."

"I already know, I broke some bones and banged my head." You say, tired already. You hated the hospital, the only memories you had of one, were when your brother and father had past away. You hated hospitals.

Dr. Hollis shook her head, "Yes, you are correct, but what you don't know, is that when you banged your head, you suffered a minor coma that you had been in for three days. Coming out of that coma, it appears that you have suffered some memory loss."

"Memory loss?" You asked immediately. That was impossible; you remembered everything, everything except the accident.

"It seems that you have lost five years worth of memories." Dr. Hollis continued; she looked like she was in pain. Her appearance was haggard, and it looked like she was only standing due to stubbornness.

"That's impossible."

"No, it is very possible, but not to worry, Dr. Hollis here is going to make sure that you settle into everything nicely." The red headed doctor was back. The nametag read Lafontaine. They had what you assumed were your clothes in hand.

You moved your eyes over to them, confused. "Why her? I mean she's just my doctor."

"Actually," Dr. Hollis spoke up, capturing your attention once more, "I'm your roommate."


	4. Chapter 4

centeriuThree years ago/u/i/center

You felt a dip in your mattress, causing you to smile. "You're home early tonight." You whispered, turning around to face your girlfriend, your face immediately falling when you noticed what she had in her hands.

Carmilla shifted in the bed, "I know, I know you don't like cats, and you've told me a hundred times not to feed the one in our back alley, but look at him, isn't he cute?"

You look from Carmilla's face down to the cat's warily. You could feel your resistance wearing thin. It was late, and you were tired, and you had taken your daily allergy medicine, so you sighed in defeat. "Fine, but he sleeps on your side of the bed, and you're cleaning his litter box."

Carmilla grinned, letting the cat drop onto the bed, practically jumping on top of you, and planting a bunch of kisses all over your jaw and chin. "You're literally the best roommate turned girlfriend ever."

You rolled your eyes, pressing a kiss to her lips, and settled back into the mattress with her weight on top of you. "I can think of a way for you to thank me." You said, hands dragging down to grab at her ass.

"Laur, we can't while Camus is watching!"

"You seriously named him after that stuffy old philosopher?"

Carmilla sighed, sliding off of you, and scooped the black cat up into her arms. "Come on Camus, mommy wants some alone time tonight."

You shake your head in disbelief; you can't believe that you were planning to propose to this goof.

centeriuPresent Time/u/i/center

"My roommate?" Carmilla chuckled, "Why would I have a roommate? I live with my girlfriend."

If you heard Carmilla use the word girlfriend ever again, it would be too soon, but you bit your tongue.

LaFontaine looked at you, hoping there was a way to easily tell Carmilla the one thing that would break her all over again. She had loved this Ell, or she did love her. She loved her in the present because you didn't exist to her. You didn't surpass the knowledge of being her doctor.

You licked your lips nervously, hands fidgeting at your waist. "You and Ell broke up five years ago."

Carmilla froze, immediately falling into a fit of nervous laughter. Something you had noticed to be the only thing that kept her from crying. Clearly before she had even found Ell in bed with the barista she worked with, she had her suspicions, probably because it hadn't been the first time.

"Are you sure?" She asked you, her voice wavering.

You felt your heart beat heavily in your chest. Carmilla was iyour/i wife, but that didn't mean that there hadn't been a life before you, that Carmilla had loved before you. "I'm afraid so, you've spoken of it a few times."

"So I must trust you then." She whispered, her brow furrowing, her chin shaky. She looked scared.

You watch LaFontaine set Carmilla's clothes on the foot of the bed and leave the room. With one hand stuffed in your pocket, you reassured yourself with the weight of two rings beneath your fingertips. You swallowed at her words, feeling your gut clench. "Yes."


	5. Chapter 5

centeriuTwo Years Ago/u/i/center

"Laura, we're gonna be late!" You shout from one side of the house.

"Just a second, I can't find my lucky underwear!"

"What do you need lucky underwear for? You've already got me!" You shout back, giggling when you hear a scoff echo out into the hallway. "Seriously babe, I don't want to be late to my own launch party!"

Laura hurried out of your room then, nearly tripping as she hopped into her heels. "Alright, alright, fine, I'm ready."

"You're going commando aren't you?" You asked.

Laura grinned, shooting you a wink as she past you and out the front door.

You groan appreciatively and miserably. You suppose that if you were a few minutes late it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

centeriuPresent Time/u/i/center

So this is where you lived. Well it was a stretch from where you had lived with Ell, which had practically been a hole in the wall. This was nice, exposed brick walls, high vaulted ceilings, and an open floor plan. It was every small town kid's ideal place to live when they moved to the city.

You could tell that Laura was having an inner struggle, something you weren't too sure wasn't just a mental breakdown all together. She was just being overly cautious and kept looking at you, expecting you to know something you didn't. It was driving you nuts.

"Alright, what is it cupcake?"

Laura nearly jumped out of her skin at your sudden need to talk. The whole car ride back to the house had been quiet, you weren't sure of what to ask, but since you had five years of memories missing from your brain, you figured that Laura knew something you didn't, and for some reason was keeping it from you.

Her stupid worried eyes and pouted lip was pissing you off though, only because you had no idea what was causing it. She was a pretty girl; you couldn't believe that she was just your roommate, after all no one knew exactly how you worked better than yourself.

"What?" She asked, placing her keys in the bowl on the counter and the bag with your clothes in it on the floor.

You raised a brow, "What aren't you telling me?" There was something about her that you just couldn't put your finger on, you figured before your accident you had known quite a lot about this woman, and now you knew close to nothing.

Laura's face paled, her hand hovering over her lab coat pocket before swallowing, "Nothing, I'm not hiding anything."

You shook your head, "Seriously, if you don't tell me, I'll just go spend the night at a hotel." You wanted to trust your supposed roommate and secrets never got you very far. In fact, lying is what hurt you more than any bone-crushing car could.

Laura sighed, staring at you before reverting her eyes back to the hardwood floor between you. She slowly reached into her coat pocket and opened her fist to reveal two rings.

"What are those?" You found yourself asking, already knowing the answer.

"They're our wedding rings."


	6. Chapter 6

centeriuOne Year Ago/u/i/center

"I can't believe we're spending our wedding night in the storage room of my studio." Carmilla said, weaving and unweaving her fingers with yours.

"It's the warmest room here." You said, not really caring. You were married to Carmilla now and that's all that mattered.

"I still can't believe you talked me into a winter wedding, we could be on a plane right now if it weren't for this damn snow."

"I recall you actually vetoing the June wedding idea."

"Darling, that's not so much an idea as it is everyone's first choice. Besides, we'd be all sweaty and gross before we even said our 'I dos'." Carmilla's lips were brushing against the shell of your ear, making you shiver.

You leaned back into her embrace, one hand resting on her knee. "You ever have sex in the storage closet of your studio before?"

Carmilla chuckled lowly, sending an all too familiar warmth down into your gut. "Nope, can't say I have."

"Do you want to?"

"Mrs. Hollstein, are you suggesting we consummate our marriage on the dirty floor next to a tuba and cello?"

"You were a total band geek in high school and have just been lying to me all these years." You whispered, turning in her embrace to face her.

Carmilla looked up at you, her eyes bright and her cheeks slightly flushed from crying earlier. You knew you would never let her forget her crying during your vows. You knew that you would never want to be married to anybody else, ever.

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't, and there's no way you'll ever find out."

"Baby, you know how to play the fucking tuba," You grin as she blushes at the nickname, "Something tells me you didn't just wake up one morning and have the sudden urge to play it."

Carmilla stuck her tongue out at you, "There's no proof, so I guess this will have to just stay a hypothesis."

"Oh there's pictures somewhere, I can just feel it."

"You know what I can feel?"

"What?" You asked her.

"Your hips digging into my pelvis, now come here and kiss it better."

You felt your mouth go dry as you quickly leaned in to wipe that smirk of off your wife's lips. Yeah, she was your wife now and you couldn't be happier.

centeriuPresent Time/u/i/center

You had lost your cool. You forgot how well Carmilla could read you, or more importantly that she somehow knew something was off without knowing anything about you, which meant you were a terrible actor.

You clenched your eyes shut as she asked you what you were hiding, and you prayed that what you were about to do wouldn't backfire. Reaching into your coat pocket, you hoped that LaF hadn't been right about you keeping your marriage a secret. You made a last resort wish that Carmilla wouldn't freak out.

You held your hand outstretched to reveal the rings. Rings that the both of you went to pick out over a year ago.

"What are those?" Carmilla asked you, her voice hesitant and a bit nervous.

"They're our wedding rings." You whispered back.

Carmilla was quiet for a moment as she stared hard at your hand before bursting out into laughter.

You felt your heart drop into your stomach, feeling it beginning to disintegrate within your stomach acid. "What?" You asked, a bit angry. This wasn't a laughing matter. Carmilla didn't remember the last five years let alone who you were. You were the most vulnerable you have been in a very long time, and the girl you were in love with was laughing at you.

"How drunk were we?"

"Excuse me?"

Carmilla cocked her head to the side, trying to catch her breath. "I hardly think I'd marry you sober." She started, already sounding harsh and rude, just like she had originally been when you met. "You're just not what I ever expected in a wife."

"Well sorry to burst your bubble, but I proposed to you over a year ago and you said yes." You ground out, angry, you couldn't help it, your patience was wearing thin and it had been a long day. You just wanted to go to bed. "And no, there was no alcohol involved."

Carmilla watched you silently for a moment, her mouth forming one of her more dramatic frowns, the one you somehow grew to love.

You knew she wasn't going to apologize; she rarely had when she first moved in. Hell, she didn't really start using your name until you started dating. A part of you wanted her to know though. A part of you wanted so badly for Carmilla's eyes to focus on you and warm, to know exactly who you were when she looked at you. A part of you wanted so badly for her to remember.

"I'm going to bed." You announced, turning on your heel to leave the room and head down the hallway to your bedroom.

"Should I take the couch then?" You heard Carmilla ask from behind you.

You stayed quiet though, let her figure it out. You certainly weren't going to help her. Not after that.


	7. Chapter 7

centeriu6 Months Ago/u/i/center

"Please put me down, it's ijust/i a sprained ankle." Laura grumbled as she was carried into the apartment.

"iJust/i a sprained ankle? Why Dr. Hollis, you just blow me away with all of this medical jargon." You teased, carrying her over to the couch.

"I'll show you jargon." Laura bit out, rolling her eyes when you took her heels off for her, causing her to melt when you kissed each of her ankles afterwards.

"I love you." You whispered to her, lips skimming higher up her leg.

Laura's breath hitched as you pushed her back onto the couch, her skirt inching up towards her waist. "I love you too."

centeriuPresent Time/u/i/center

You gave her five minutes to cool down before entering what you could only assume was the room you had shared with her. Laura was a lump beneath the comforter. You smiled lightly, moving to climb into bed beside her.

"What are you doing?"

You shifted around to get comfortable, "You're really gonna make your wife sleep on the couch?" You were nothing but teasing to make light of the situation, something that you were starting to think would be a lot harder to do than you had anticipated.

"You're not my wife," Laura whispered, "You just look like her." Her back was faced towards you, but you knew the sound of tears in someone's voice better than most.

Rolling onto your back, you stared at the ceiling, something cracking open in your chest. You didn't know your wife anymore, but you were starting to understand why you had loved her. She was nothing like Ell. She was smart, she was beautiful, and she was a doctor for crying out loud! And somehow she loved you. She proposed to you. She was clearly hurt because you forgot everything about her, about the relationship you shared. She was hurting because she remembered and you were frustrated because you couldn't. It was the definition of messy, but you had hope that you could fix it. If you couldn't remember that you loved her, you could fall for her again, and with that, make her fall for you. It would just take some time and a whole lot of patience.


End file.
